Hawk’s Eyes

Chapter 1

“Hello,” a beautifully dirty girl with golden eyes and hair clad in very few animal skins called out into the forest. “Please! If someone’s there, answer me! Oh all that is right and good in this world...” she trotted along as if routine through the forest calling to an unknown creature. “I hate being alone...I’d give anything to have some company..or maybe I just don’t deserve it,” she leapt like a cat to a low branch and bounded from tree to tree getting scratched every now and then. Long had she resided in that forest that she was used to the scratches and the darkness. Even during the day it was almost as dark as night. Her eyes, and ears, and sense of smell were the most sharpest of her senses and she prided herself on working on making all her senses just as keen. She came to rest on a certain branch and sniffed the air a few times. There was something other then beast or plant or insect in that forest, and she would find out. She felt loved there, she was one of the only beings big enough to protect that forest: it was her home as well as any others. She sniffed a few times again, analyzing the smell this time. “It’s not like my own human smell...” she whispered to herself and began to move towards it.

As she bounded through the trees quick like a cat she heard below the sound of paws padding against the forest floor. It was the wolves, they knew there was something strange, too. Soon they reached the appointed place: her, the wolves, and many other animals that knew something was going to go down. Crunching noises were heard from the cave in front of the lot, and one brave female wolf was first to approach the darkness. She held her head high and bounded in growling at whatever the creature may be. It did not take long before a scuffle was heard, then a yelp- short and quick- then nothing but crunching. Another wolf was ready to move in when she held her arm out to stop her. “I’ll go next,” she said to the group simply. She looked about for a means to fight and decided on a large stick, “I’ll try and see what it is...I’ll lore it out if I can then you guys attack it! Alright?” Growls and grunts heard round the group as she began her attack. She stepped in and darkness seemed to eat her and she waited for her eyes to adjust. They did somewhat and she advanced a few steps, listening for any movement besides the creature’s jaw.

She heard it sniff and she stopped, ready to fight, “I had no idea that humans lived in this forest...I’ll have fun eating you!” Eyes aglow before her she raised her stick to fend off the monster that had just jumped at her. She literally flew backwards out of the cave and into the group of animals. It was large, larger then anything there! She coughed a bit and tasted blood, it was strong! She kicked her legs and brought herself to her feet and was at the ready to defend again. All the animals jumped at it at once but all at once the monster batted the animals away. “I’ll have fun eating you...” it growled and she felt fear for the first time in a long time.

She would not let it rule her though, “I’ll have fun bathing in your innards!” It rushed her and she sidestepped, she listened to her instincts. As it passed her she spun quickly and dug the stick into it’s back, it cried out in a hellish way. She didn’t rest there, as it lay wounded for a brief moment she pulled the dagger she carried on her belt out. It’s eyes would be her prize and she would take those first! The dagger may have been somewhat small but it was sharp and with the right angle she took it’s arm off with one swing. It writhed and swung with it’s other arm, she took it clean off, too. It lost all it’s limbs before it lay dying and she stood above it in triumph. ‘It’s eyes look good, but I’ll just take one,’ she mused in her mind. It was true skill that got the one eye out whole.

Like one would eat an apple, she would eat the eye but a wolf mother nudged her. It seemed to be advising her not to eat it and she was unsure why. This was her prize! She had saved many by killing the unknown beast...but then again it could be unsafe. She looked at the eye and finally discarded it to the heap that was the creature. None thanked her, she had done this kind of thing before. It was not the same creature, but it was most defiantly not from that forest. ‘Where do these beings come from,’ she thought hard before jumping into the trees to find her home and sleep.

She did as she always could and slept through the day, just at sunset she’d awaken to find her meal. It wasn’t easy to be her: Scavenging for a scrap of food, being human and having to sweat, covered in dirt, scars, and blood. There was a stream but that water was so pure and clean she dare not contaminate it with her filth. What would she eat that day? A fish, maybe some insects, she couldn’t really know. Then something was brought to her nostrils, a smell most divine that her mouth watered then and there on that branch. ‘What could that be?! That smell...seems familiar...’ she thought and her legs were already carrying her towards the stream.

Voices called out to each other as she neared and just the smell seemed to lore her to them. She almost forgot to hide before getting there, they were after all intruders in her territory. She could tell how many were there just by the smell. They had probably just gotten there and were setting up camp, though no one would travel in these parts. Now a days these parts were riddled with monstrous creatures much like the one she fought the night before. Her nose twitched as she tried to zone in on the smells of the people, it was hard with such an intoxicating aroma right before her. She concentrated and figured out that they were all men, and leaving their camp site. Would she dare? Hunger gripped her stomach and made it flip for the food. ‘Must..not let hunger rule me! They might know I’m here! They might just be leaving to get me out! I have to stay put! I..’ her thoughts were interrupted by the grumble in her belly. Tears came to her eyes from the strength of her hunger, and she began to shake.

One never knows how hungry one is till they smell food, and she was about ready to pass out. She couldn’t stand it! ‘I’ll just go down quietly and take a bit...they’ll never know it’s gone,’ she thought and dropped silently from a low branch. She was still a ways from the site and she hoped they were, too. She looked about at all they had. The torches hurt her used-to-darkness eyes but they soon got used to it and all they had were amazing items. She curiously looked about before coming to the stew pot. ‘Long has it been...’ she began to think, ‘since I’ve seen these...or do I really remember seeing them at all? I don’t care, I belong here now! Just get some food you starving wretch!’ She began to step up to it when she heard them coming back! “No! Not...fair,’ she ran swiftly toward where she came from, none were there. ‘Have to hurry,’ she ran on callused feet and leapt into the trees. As she suspected someone had seen her, how could she tell? An arrow whizzed by her as she landed on the branch. Not another came as she heard them all talking. She wasn’t sure why she waited, but she did. She sat in the shadow of the tree branches awaiting their next attack if it was to come.

One came towards her tree with a torch in hand, thinking to see her from so low. “Hello? Is there something up there,” a man called, he sounded young. She looked down on him without revealing her position, he was young!

Another man came up next to him with a crossbow in hand pointing it about ready to shoot the first thing he saw. A low growl admitted from her throat at the sight and an arrow whizzed at her again. She moved and caught it before it imbedded itself in the trunk. She threw it back down at his feet as a warning. He growled to, not an animal like growl like her own. “Captain, there’s something up there,” the man shouted and was ready to fire again.

The Captain touched the weapon and made the man lower it, “I realize that Loan. I don’t think whatever’s up there is a threat though...Let’s leave it be.”

“Can’t you smell that sir? Its horrid! Only something evil could smell that bad,” shouted Loan and pointed the crossbow at the tree. She growled even louder now, he hit a tender spot in her ego. Another arrow came at her and she caught it, another right after, she expected it and caught it, too.

“I’m well aware of my own stench thank you! Now if you don’t mind, stop shooting at me! I’ll leave you fools alone,” she threw the two arrows down at their feet and bounded off from branch to branch. The men stood stunned as the female voice reached their ears, wondering how a woman could smell so bad! She got back to her nest and her stomach growled like her throat. “Stupid men! I know I smell...and I’m so hungry...” she curled up on her makeshift platform. She couldn’t think over her stomach growling, unsure if she should try and go back? No, they’d smell her from a while away. She had to hunt..but after that scare the night before all the animals would be hiding! Oh, woe was her! “So hungry,” she moaned as she held her stomach. She figured she would just sleep off the hunger but it was no use. Would they sleep soon? Could she sneak in to their camp? ‘I wish it would rain soon, I need to bathe real soon,’ she thought. ‘Ugh! I’m not this weak! I can go days without food! I just want...food,’ she growled at her stomach. Wishing it to shut up, thinking that every being in that forest would hear it. She, after what seemed a century, decided to just go and watch them, wait for them to sleep before she took any leftovers. It had been some time since she had a cooked meal, she didn’t care if they were seconds.

There were many of them, clad in armor and whatever else. The big pot of stew was bubbling happily as the men took from it and left near to nothing. They were making merry and laughing about she didn’t know what. If they could smell her, they showed no sign of it, all they did was laugh and talk and eat and drink. So many tents occupied the clearing where the stream lay. She watched from the shadows, creeping from branch to branch listening on the many conversations. One group talked of the battles they were in and the scars they had, she only scoffed mentally and thought, ‘If only you could see me and the scars I have.’ Another group spoke of their families and how they miss them again she became thoughtful, ‘I used to have a family...’

There were plenty of other conversations that she listened to but took no interest. The last one she came to was with that Captain and the pig Loan. They were speaking to the others about her, but only a mention. One man asked if they saw her and of course they said no. Soon they were off the subject of her and onto the subject of love. Her ears perked from so far away and listened to them all tell a tale of a love they’ve felt. When it came to the Captain he had none to tell, “The only love I have is for my work. As a Captain I can do what I’ve always been good at and I love it.” The men didn’t seem to enjoy that much and she was curious as to why. ‘Love? What is this...love’ she thought, forgetting completely why she was there. Her stomach growled a little and she remembered, time to wait! She sat with her back to the camp against the trunk. It was getting early and they were still up drinking whatever was making them so goofy. It seemed the only one to not get goofy was the Captain. She would not eat that day, and it would bother her to no end. She was irritated and grumpy, she forgot to make sure no one followed her back to her tree.

She was getting settled, grumbling about being hungry when the voice came, “Hello again! How nice that I might meet you! Won’t you come down?” She was beating herself up, growling and cursing that she had been careless.

“Leave this place. It is my domain, what do you think you and your friends are doing here? Hmm,” she growled not bothering to go down, her smell might kill him up close.

“We have been in search of a monster. A ghastly creature with white eyes and a dark furry body. Do you know of such a thing,” he called up to her. She sighed, not wanting him to yell and get something’s attention she dropped down to a lower branch.

She sat as if a bird, perched on a lower branch. He could see some of her now, but she growled at the torchlight. “Mind putting that out,” he saw her nod at the torch.

“Then how will I find my way back?” He raised an eyebrow at her and she growled again. “Why don’t you come closer?”

“I wouldn’t want you to dies from my stench,” she said bitterly. “There is no point in my being closer to you. I can tell you that I have seen such a creature and have defeated it last night.”

He looked a bit surprised at her statement then his face went grim, “Not to offend you, but that monster can not be defeated by means of hand combat. It is unlike anything you’ve faced before, it must be killed by light. You defeating it though, my goodness! You must be strong!” His praise to her made her feel quite nice, but then she thought back.

“I could take you to where I defeated him,” she said and hopped down. She didn’t stand nearly as tall as him, though there hair was near the same length. She had to keep it short, made things easy. She wore rags over her top half and something like underwear on her bottom half. She still had it’s blood on her, “We must move quickly though. Do you think you could keep up?”

She was teasing him and he knew it, “I’ll do my best.” She took off sooner then he could blink, she was quite fast. Like a deer or gazelle or mixed she bounded through the forest with the Captain of the knights as close on her heals as he could get. She had come close and stopped, he took the time to catch up and before he could step past her she pushed him back. “What’s wrong,” he asked as her hand trembled on his chest keeping him at bay.

“It’s..different. Yesterday it was weak, but now it’s smell is so much stronger! I don’t understand...It must have eaten...” she stopped. “Oh no..I didn’t want that to...it wasn’t supposed to...damn it!” She moved past the Captain and started into a run, before she could go any faster he caught her arm.

“What’s going on? You must tell me,” he said with the torch in his hand. It lit up the worry in his face and the anger in hers.

“That monster, it must have eaten them, all of them! All the animals that I cared for! I risked my life for them! It was all in vain...Now it’s bigger, and stronger,” she pulled her arm back away from him. “Do you know what’s it’s like? To have things torn from you?” Anger was eminent on her features, with every word she said she took a step towards him forcing him away from the area where she knew the monster resided.

“I can handle him,” the Captain said simply pushing the girl out of his way and unsheathing his sword. She was about ready to say something but he put his hand up and stopped her, “Don’t worry about me.” He rushed off, knowing where to go, somehow. Her gut was telling her to go after him, help him but her mind was yelling, ‘He’s a man! He’s scum! Let him die! He’ll do to you what the others did!’ She had always listened to her gut, no matter what her mind said. She ran after him, in the trees though, not knowing what she could do to the beast now. She sat perched like a vulture watching as he struggled against it. He was trying to do something with his sword that made it light up. She cocked her head sideways at that and figured out what to do. She chirped and that got the beast’s attention and the Captain knew that she was buying him time.

“Ah, the little human! You decided not to eat my eye after all! How wise of you,” it growled, what a stupid beast.

“You’re the scum beneath my feet, why would I bother eating any of you,” as she spoke she leapt from her perch and landed on it’s head. She back-flipped off of it and drew her deadly dagger. It shrieked angrily at her, it was most likely 3 times her size but that must have been a special dagger for as it lunged for her she swept the small blade across it’s wrist and the hand came off. She smiled as it’s blood pored on her, adding to her stench. She knew she couldn’t kill it but playing with it for a bit wouldn’t hurt...too much.

It was mad now, “That is the second time you have cut off my hand little wretch! I’ll eat your innards before my time has ended!” It’s face came at her now at a speed she could easily match and she laughed bitterly as she dodged and cut out an eye. It didn’t pause this time and she hadn’t thought it’d do that, it grabbed her leg. It raised her high above it’s head and she knew what was coming. It brought her down hard and she felt like every bone in her body and every organ was turned to mush. His spell was complete and she saw a bright light consume the being that still held her leg. She was afraid to inhale or exhale. What was she seeing? Was it the Captain? No, it was just darkness, and a feeling. A light inside of her, she could see it. Then pain, nothing but pain. Her body arched and her mouth opened to scream but no sound came out. She went limp and that was that.

The Captain, Nicolas, walked back into his tent with a change of clothes for the little treasure he found in the forest. He would find a way to change her mind about men, even if it killed him. He had used one of his secret spells to save her, it had taken a lot out of him but it couldn’t be helped. He entered and gasped a bit at the site. She was lying on her side with her arm over her chest and one leg slung over the other. She must have pushed the cloth some time in her sleep. He gulped at the sight of her bare flesh with all it’s scars. Her skin was so pale it seemed to glow in the darkness of the tent, and he could feel his pants beginning to tighten. He dropped the clothes and walked out of the tent breathing deeply as some of his men laughed at him seeing his “pants problem”. He grumbled beneath his breath and got control of himself before going back in. He looked at her, again his problem rising in his pants but didn’t leave this time. He moved the clothes and knelt beside her. He tried to put the covers over her yet trying not to wake her, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t be happy if she woke then. She wouldn’t let him though, she fought him in her sleep.

He groaned slightly as she grabbed the covers and held them to her not covering anything. She was hugging them and rolled over to her back. Nicolas’s heart skipped a beat as she lay sprawled out with the silken cloth barely covering her lover half leaving her upper half fully viewable. He shook with he didn’t know what as he basked in her ultimate beauty. She thrashed wildly all of a sudden and he pushed her down as she attacked him too. Had she woken? What would she do to him, seeing as she thought all men were the scum beneath her feet. He lulled her as se calmed down into tears, if she was awake she didn’t care that she was now crying into his chest. “Who did it,” he asked so softly that it wasn’t a whisper. “Who was it that raped you?”

Had she heard him? Would she tell him? “It was my father and brother...” to his surprise she answered. She was awake, she pushed him away and glared at him. “You wouldn’t understand the pain I was in...that I’m still in from what they did to me,” she growled and then attacked. She backhanded him in the face, then while he was down she got atop him and began her assault. He barely had enough time to catch her first the third time it hit him in the face. He grabbed her wrists and forced her under him and she started to go wild. He hadn’t realized what he did, but it was too late to move.

He pinned her down so she couldn’t hurt him more, “Listen to me! Calm down, I won’t hurt you...” He hissed it at her but she didn’t want to listen. She began to calm and he got off her, but she was fast and attacked him. This time she went from the back and put him in a choke hold with her right arm around his neck and the left hand keeping it there. He gasped for air and choked words out every now and then like, “Listen to me...I won’t hurt you...” He should have been more worried about her hurting him. He wasn’t sure why she listened to him, but he wouldn’t bother asking. She let him go, he stood and moved away from her. He stood on the other side of the tent and she sat in the jumble of silks facing him. The only thing she had on was the cloth between her legs and a scowl. He cleared his throat and coughed a bit before talking. “Why don’t you put on some clothes, you’re very distracting,” he nodded at the ones he brought in next to her.

She looked at them then to him, “I can’t wear clothes like that, they’re restricting. I feel caged even in here...” She looked about the tent and so did he, not wanting another problem to arise in his pants. He turned around she he glimpsed her standing, she picked up one of the silks and began to rip it. He was surprised, silk was hard to tare, yet here she was wrapping the strip around herself and tying the extra ends behind her neck. She tore another strip and wrapped this bit around her nether region. She looked at him, who was looking at her and walked out of the tent briskly. He quickly chased after her, because if he was thinking correctly she would try and get away without a talk.

He was right, he scarcely saw her run through the group and disappear into the trees. He was close to her, she was not a simple woman. She was perched upon a low branch waiting for him. He sighed and walked near her, “I thought you were trying to run out on a talk.” He smiled at her and she glared at him, all she could give him was a scowl.

“I don’t know why I didn’t, all you men think alike. You’re pigs, no! Worse then pigs,” she growled. “You all want the same thing,” she turned from him and looked about ready to leave.

“You don’t really believe that do you? That’s why you’re staying isn’t it,” he asked trying to look at her face.

“I suppose you’re correct...what is it you want from me,” she perched again like a hawk ready to kill.

He was silent for a moment, looking at her, “You remind me of a hawk...Your eyes, your hair, your attitude...” He shook his head and got his right frame of mind back, “I want you to come with me...” He held his hand out as if she were a bird to sit there.

At first she looked surprised, then angry. She growled at him, “This is my home and you dare wish to take me from it?! Scum!” She wouldn’t wait now, not even if he begged. She leapt from her perch and off into the darkness of the tress, he reached after her not in the same way as before, as if he could snatch her from the air. ‘It’s like she’s flying,’ he thought in wonder and then sadness. ‘I only wish that you could fly to me, wonderful Hawk...farewell,’ he turned and headed back to the camp and they would leave the area and go back to their homes the next day.